Fireworks
by Pensulliwen
Summary: They were Exorcists. Allen was under steady surveillance, and Lenalee constantly worried about the not so tiny piece of her world. But they were also teenagers, and it had been a long time since either had been to a festival.
1. Part 1

_This fic has been in the works for a looong time, so the writing style at the beginning might strike you as completely different than the writing style later on. Or maybe only I notice. Either way, this was done for the DGM Big Bang and there's a link to the GORGEOUS art I got out of the deal on my profile page, you should go click it._

* * *

**Fireworks**

_Part 1_**  
**

Lenalee awoke with a start, jarred by the figments of a dream rather than any external stimulus. She let out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding and lay tensely in the dark of her room as her heartbeat sped; after so many nights, it almost felt routine. It was the same dream as always: a dystopian, very real future, with red skies and crumbling buildings. A wasteland of a world where she was alone, wandering among the wreckage. Lenalee walked through the familiar nightmare with the same apprehension every time, though she knew what was waiting for her, afraid to continue and afraid to stop. Then she saw the corpse. A white-haired Exorcist with a pentagram above his eye and a ruined left arm.

She used to scream, when she woke up, but was almost used to it by now. The nightmare had not lost its potency, but Lenalee had at least become accustomed to waking from it.

She sat up with a sigh, wide awake. Her mind was racing and she knew from experience that it would be a while before it settled down again. A glance out the window did little to inform her what time it was; the sky was pitch black, but she had gone to bed early that night, so it could have been anywhere from late night to early morning. She slid out from under her sheets to investigate. The air was fairly warm, even after being under the covers, and her toes curled pleasantly on the plush rug at the side of her bed; one of Brother's few wise investments, in her opinion, as stone floor tended to be cold no matter what the season.

Tip-toeing, Lenalee slipped into a skirt and pair of slippers before noiselessly moving out of the room. The doors of the old headquarters had always creaked; this building was not new, buts its hinges were silent. She had yet to become accustomed to the little noises and rattles of the vaulted building, but since acquiring the Crystal type Innocence her footfall had been even lighter than before. She made her way down the hallway in perfect silence, any noise she might have made absorbed by the plushy slippers. It was partially comfortable and partially unnerving. It would become a reassuring silence, if she stayed here long enough, but for now the foreign hallways of the North American branch made it feel a little lonely.

Lenalee slowed to a stop as she passed Allen's door, frowning. He was fine. He was always fine. Through every nightmare she had ever had, he was fine. There was no need to bother him, even if every time she dreamed the image of him lying bloody and broken was seared into her mind, and for a moment she would have done anything to see him sleeping peacefully unaware of such thoughts.

Hesitantly, she continued walking. He was probably asleep, and she would get an earful from Link for her trouble if she woke either of them up. What was she thinking, even considering barging into his room at such an hour? Falling asleep in his room not so long ago, and now this; she was becoming far too careless around Allen. Brother would have a conniption if she wasn't careful, or at least Link would.

Lenalee set her course for the library, which was quickly becoming her favorite room in the building. Not because she was particularly fond of reading (she rarely had the time), but because it was such a cozy room, nearly identical to the one at the Old Headquarters; she could feel everyone's presences there. Lavi in the piles of books he was always too lazy to return after reading, her brother and the science department in the many empty spaces where various thick books with small text and no pictures were missing. Allen and Johnny in the couch, only Allen in the blanket. Kanda never left a trace when he could help it, but Lenalee could imagine him propped against the wall, arms crossed and scowling at nothing and everything.

Lenalee hugged the wall as a man she did not recognize passed by her, averting her eyes towards the floor. It was strange, being surrounded by people she didn't know. Not that she thought she was breaking any specific rules; she had not been instructed to stay in her room, after all. But she felt uneasy all the same. The people here did not greet her by name when she passed, or smile at much of anyone. She didn't trust them— they were not part of her family, and many of them reported to That Man. Lenalee supposed that everyone did, really, but she never felt his presence in the people at home, aside from Inspector Link. There were too many people from Central here, though she couldn't be sure if that was always the case or if they were here because Allen was.

Lenalee shook away such thoughts as she reached the library, anticipating curling up with a book on the couch. They would all be home soon enough.

Groping along the wall for the light switch, her stealth was effectively ruined by tripping over a lamp and then onto the arm of a couch, largely cushioning her fall but knocking the wind out of her in the process. Perhaps the layout was not quite as identical to the one in the Main Branch as she had remembered. Pulling herself up, she remembered with a fair amount of certainty that the light switch was on the other side of the couch.

"Lenalee?"

She froze at the sound of her name, pressing closer to the wall as her eyes scanned the dark room. It took her a moment to register that the voice was too young sounding to be an official, and the dread washing over her at being caught lessened a little at that, before disappearing completely as true recognition set in.

"You scared me," Lenalee whispered tensely, still gripping the wall as her heart raced all over again. After another moment of searching she finally located the silhouette of a young teen against the window, outline just barely lit by a streetlamp outside. If nothing else, the wisps of white hair were a giveaway.

"Sorry," he apologized hurriedly, moving towards her such that she lost sight of him for a moment. "I should have turned a light on." She closed her eyes for a moment, willing them to get used to the darkness of the room faster. The hallway had at least had dim lights to accommodate the many personnel working night shifts. But no, surely Allen had a reason for skulking about in the dark. If she wasn't really supposed to be out of her room, then certainly he was...

"Where's the Inspector?" she asked, finally noticing his absence as she opened her eyes again. Allen shrugged, taking a seat on a couch by the window— oh, he must have been there when she walked in. Silly that she didn't see him.

"Still sleeping." Lenalee nodded, moving away from the door.

"Couldn't you?" she asked, sitting down next to him, though not so close that their legs would touch. A small shake of his head was Allen's only response. "Mm, me neither." Silence settled over them. Lenalee considered picking up a book, but didn't think that she would be able to make out the text in such dim lighting. Not that he has specifically said not to turn a light on, but that somehow felt wrong now. The silence was comfortable, anyway. Just having him beside her after that dream was the best thing she could have asked for.

"Why couldn't you sleep?"

It took Lenalee a moment to register the question, and she wondered if she was more tired than she had realized. But she was acutely aware of Allen watching her as she struggled to answer, and wondered at the oddly personal question. It wasn't like Allen to pry.

"Was it a nightmare?" Allen asked when she did not respond. Her initial reaction, beyond surprise, was to lie, though Lenalee had no idea why that was. What did she have to hide from Allen?

"Yes," she answered resolutely, turning to face him. Allen's expression was mildly concerned, and Lenalee lost her drive to recount the dream again as quickly as she had obtained it. Why would he have asked something like that? "The same one I told you about a while ago. Do you remember it?"

"Yes, I remember," Allen said, a little too quickly. He smiled quietly rather than answering her curious glance, and Lenalee decided not to question it. Both Exorcists tensed as footsteps sounded behind the door. They remained silent for a few moments after they had passed, before Lenalee exhaled quietly. She glanced up at Allen, flashing him a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Tiptoeing around intimidating stone walls, tensing at any sign of unknown people in the shadows; she felt as if she was a young girl again, sneaking around the Order. It had seemed much bigger, then, though both buildings were certainly vast in their own right. But on those escapades she truly had been an escaped prisoner.

"It's been a while since I've felt this uncomfortable here," she murmured complacently, before starting. "Ah, I mean, it's much worse for you, of course—"

"Link's not that bad," Allen assured her as Lenalee looked away uneasily. "I could have done worse." The implications weighed heavily on both them in the silence. She couldn't argue with that. "He's like furniture, anyway," Allen added with a somewhat dry smile as an attempt to lighten the mood. Lenalee did not reply.

Then an explosion ripped through the air in the distance, making them both jump.

"Are we under attack?" Lenalee asked uncertainly, on her feet in an instant and standing by the window a moment later as more explosions followed the first.

"I don't think so," Allen muttered, joining her. It certainly didn't sound like an act of war; the explosions were muted, for one thing, as if they were a distance away. More like...

"Fireworks!" Lenalee breathed excitedly, pressing her face to the glass as light peppered the sky. Allen observed them for a moment, but his attention was quickly drawn to the child-like wonder on Lenalee's face instead. "I haven't seen fireworks in such a long time, I wonder what they're for?" she mused aloud, eyes glued to the spectacle.

"There's probably some sort of celebration going on in the town behind the forest."

"Fourth of July," Lenalee stated, nodding. "It's an American holiday."

"Right, Lavi mentioned it a couple weeks ago," Allen agreed. Well, had more complained unceasingly that he wouldn't be there for it than 'mentioned' it after discovering that the two would be there. A smile found its way back to Allen's lips at the memory. "It's probably a good thing he's not here, or he'd light the place on fire." Not that Lavi particularly needed fireworks to do that, but Allen chose not to follow the train of thought to its inevitable conclusion of arson and packing for yet another move. The two lapsed into silence again, watching the fireworks.

"I wonder if they're having a festival," Lenalee said with a poorly disguised note of longing in her voice.

"Probably," Allen answered, smiling nostalgically. Simple games, treats, and white-faced clowns that weren't funny.

"It's been a long time since I went to one, I can barely remember," Lenalee muttered quietly as the last of the explosions petered out, leaving swirling of columns of smoke in their wake. Had she ever? Yes, she could just barely remember it. Clinging to Brother's hand, being jostled by so many people that she had been terrified she would lose him before big hands came down to lift her onto his shoulders. Then she had been able to see everything.

Reflecting back on it, she really didn't remember any of the actual festival.

"I used to perform at carnivals, when I was traveling with Mana," Allen stated. Lenalee glanced at him, a little surprised that he was broaching such a subject. He had told her a little about it before, back during their mission with Miranda, but that had been before... Well, before a lot of things. "People sometimes had small firecrackers, but I've never seen any that big before. They must be huge, for us to see them over the forest." Lenalee made an affirmative noise, afraid to speak and spoil the atmosphere; while she could certainly understand Allen not wanting to discuss his past lately, she was a bit curious. But he did not continue.

"I remember going to a festival once with Brother, when I was very little," she divulged, attempting to rekindle the conversation. "I don't remember much of it, but I think that there were fireworks. I guess the last time that I saw something like a carnival was in the rewinding town, when you were helping Miranda find a job."

"Oh, that doesn't count," Allen laughed. "I mean a real show, with games, lots of people and different acts. And lots of food, too," he added. Lenalee giggled.

"You were really good, though." A slight but pleased flush colored Allen's features, impossible to make out in the poor lighting.

"Thanks."

"Mhm." Lenalee's attention was focused back out the window. "Do you think that they'll do any more?"

"Probably not for a while," Allen mused. "It is pretty late."

"I'd like to see them," Lenalee stated. Allen smiled, amused.

"I would, too."

"We could probably get a better view from the roof," Lenalee suggested, "but I'm not sure how to get up there. And..."

And they weren't supposed to be out of their rooms. She probably wasn't, he definitely wasn't. Somehow she kept forgetting that. Allen acted so carefree about the whole situation, it could be difficult to remember that he was truly under arrest.

"Here is okay, isn't it?"

"Yes."

The uneasy silence returned. Lenalee had trouble actually looking at him, and every time she glanced over she saw him looking the other way.

"Would you tell me about the circus?" she asked suddenly. Allen seemed taken aback. "It just sounds interesting, if you don't mind talking about it," she added, aiming for nonchalance and failing miserably. Allen considered it a moment before speaking.

"There's not much to tell, I guess. We didn't stay with any one group for very long, Mana liked to move a lot. Even the circus life was a bit too slow for him. He," Allen cut off, smiling at a distant memory. "He liked to make people laugh."

But now he had to wonder if there were other reasons for moving around so much, and he hated not being able to take anything about Mana at face value any more. No matter how desperately he wanted to just believe in Mana, there was always that hint of second-guessing fond memories.

"He sounds like a wonderful person," Lenalee assured him. Allen glanced up at her and smiled gratefully.

"He was," Allen said confidently, looking out over the vast forest. "I guess I'm getting a little nostalgic."

"We could sneak out," Lenalee offered teasingly, though something in her gaze made Allen suspect that she was not completely joking. He was quiet a moment before forcing a laugh.

"I don't know who would kill me first, Link or your brother," he replied, matching her amiable tone. Lenalee nodded absentmindedly, eyes returning to searching the sky.

"Probably Link." Allen frowned, glancing out the window before looking at her again. Well, if he was being honest with himself, he already had snuck out. Though it would be far worse to be found outside of the building, it would also be far less likely to be found in the first place. And when he thought about the expression of sheer joy Lenalee had had when watching the fireworks, he couldn't help but want to see her make it again.

Maybe it was just the nightmare still on his mind. He hadn't remembered what it was about upon waking, but the feeling of unease had remained. Maybe it had been about the 14th. Maybe something else. He had tried not to dwell on it, but the moment that Lenalee had stumbled into the room he had somehow been sure that she had been part of it.

"I guess a couple hours couldn't hurt," he began slowly. Lenalee finally turned to face him, expression incredulous but happily surprised. "Almost everyone is asleep, they wouldn't even know we were gone," Allen concluded, attempting to justify the decision. The things he did to make her smile.

Lenalee grinned. She half laughed, raising a hand to cover her mouth as she stared at him in disbelief. "Are you... are you serious?"

"Yeah," Allen affirmed, smiling. "It'll be fun."

Lenalee glanced at his arm, before her eyes traveled up to his cursed one. Fun. They could use some fun.

"Okay," she agreed, nervous butterflies forming in her stomach. Sneaking out of the Order. She had long since stopped trying, or rather stopped wanting to as she accepted the place as her home. But it wouldn't really even be hard to do now. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about that; it was like growing up and suddenly realizing that the things that had seemed so big and scary as a child were nothing but bluffs. "Let's go!"

"Ah, Lenalee, we can't go out like this," Allen pointed out, gesturing towards her slippers and his own pajamas. Lenalee pursed her lips, nodding.

"Wait here for one minute," she instructed. Allen registered a brief flash of light, and then she was gone. He blinked, surprised at her using her Innocence, and leaned against the wall. Still had to get used to that. She was entirely too fast; he hadn't even really seen the door open. Without Lenalee there, the library quickly returned to a foreign room that offered little in the way of comfort. Allen steadfastly refused to look at any of the windows. A few hours couldn't hurt, and he felt like he owed it to her after their interactions had been cut to practically nothing following the 14th's revelation. Besides, he couldn't very well take it back now, could he? And really, he wanted to be with her, selfish and dangerous as that was— no, not dangerous. Selfish, but not dangerous, not because of that. He refused to believe that the 14th would be able to take over so easily. So far he had remained a mocking specter over Allen's shoulder, and leaving the building in secret would not change that. The only obstacle was Link, and he was still asleep in their room. What was to stop them?

The door opened suddenly, revealing a beaming Lenalee stepping in before Allen had time to worry over who was behind it. Several layers of what looked like cloth were draped over her arm. She picked up the top layer while closing the door a little bit too loudly behind her and tossed it toward him.

"Here, you can wear this." Allen shook out the lump, wondering what she could have possibly gotten him to wear from what he assumed to be a trip to her room, to reveal a white dress shirt.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, holding it up to the small amount of lantern and moonlight filtering in from the window.

"It's a present for Brother," Lenalee answered, smoothing out the wrinkles from a multilayered dress. "I'm going to give it to him when we get back. Try it on, it shouldn't be too big."

"If you're sure it's okay," Allen agreed, glancing back at her and noticing the dress. It was far more fancy looking than her usual outfits, from what he could see. "And that?"

Lenalee smiled fondly. "A present from Brother. He always gets me a dress like this for my birthday, and even though I never get to wear them he insisted that I bring it." For what purpose she had no idea, but sometimes it was best to simply abide by Komui-logic and not question it. "I thought it might be nice to actually use it. Do you think people will be dressed up?"

"Maybe," he answered, not having the faintest idea. "I don't see any reason not to."

Lenalee considered this for a moment. "Well, I wouldn't want us to stick out. But it probably won't matter if there are a lot of people there." She smiled, before turning away from him and ducking behind a book shelf. Allen blinked, and was about to ask when she called (a little too loudly) "you change over there, this takes me little while to get on." He abruptly shut his mouth, turning to face the wall despite the fact that there was no way he could possibly see anything. Lenalee, _really_. The idea was still enough to fluster him more than a little, and he pulled off his night shirt for something to do.

The dress shirt was too big. Not clownishly so, but noticeably. Still, while he didn't particularly like the idea of going out in public wearing it, he supposed that it didn't really matter all that much. It wasn't as if they were going to see anyone they knew. His clothes would be the least pressing issue in that situation, anyway.

Thinking too much about that probably wasn't a good idea. Thinking about any of it at all might make him realize what an insane idea this was, and he had already offered. It wasn't something that he could just take back, when she had lit up that way.

"How is it?"

The voice came from behind him; Allen turned, and had to stop for a moment. Even in the dim lighting, it was something to see. Not that he hadn't seen her in nice dresses before— the time in Miranda's town came to mind unbidden, though his attention had certainly been on different things at the time. The dress was not unlike the one the Road dressed her in, now that he thought about it. It affected the outfit's appeal a little, but at the same time it was different enough that he guessed Lenalee hadn't made the connection. He was certainly glad of that; and was a nice dress.

The color was hard to make out, but it looked like a dark teal. It felt a bit odd to see her in something other than black, but in a good way. The style was different than her usual dresses as well; long enough to brush her ankles, but ruffled with several layers of fabric pinching up at her hips. The sleeves were long and covered in intricate patterns he couldn't make out in the dark, repeating across the neckline.

Allen swallowed, mouth suddenly feeling dry. Not that the neckline was low, by any standards, but it different and... well, he felt a little ashamed of looking at it, though she had asked him to.

"It looks nice."

Lenalee smiled, pleased, and twirled to face the other side of the room to admire the way the fabric fanned out around her. "Thank you." She glanced back at him, still smiling. "I suppose, the best way out would be..."

Allen followed her gaze to the outline of a doorway beyond the bookshelves. "Is there an exit there?" he asked with a confused frown.

"There's a balcony." Lenalee gathered folds of the fabric in her hands, lifting the dress slightly before walking. It was a little long, but the only heeled "shoes" she had were her Dark Boots, and they were probably going to be doing a lot of walking anyway. "I can take us off from there," she added, leading the way toward the room.

Allen paled, but followed her.

"You're planning to... carry us with your boots?" It was one thing to be grabbed by her during the heat of battle, but quite another to imagine actually letting her pick him up and fly him to another town. His bruised dignity aside, Allen wasn't even able to picture how it would work.

"Of course," Lenalee chirped, wasting no time in making her way over to the glass doors and opening them. "It would take too long to get there otherwise, especially going through the forest."

A cool breeze hit Allen as he followed, hesitantly pulling the doors shut behind him. He doubted very much that anyone would notice they left it unlocked, though the possibility of coming back to find themselves locked out was not a pleasant on. Lenalee turned to look at him expectantly, smile fading as the dilemma of how to transport him occurred to her as well.

"I suppose we should..." she trailed off, a pondering look on her face. "Maybe you could get on my back?"

Allen stared at her as if she had sprouted a second head. There was a lot he was willing to do for Lenalee, but she was not going to give him a _piggyback ride._ He had to draw the line there. Lenalee wilted a bit at the look, before taking a resolute step forward.

"Then could you lift your arms up?"

Extremely hesitantly, Allen nodded, raising his arms out to the side a little. Lenalee took another step forward (Allen couldn't help but freeze as they touched) and wrapped her arms around his back. "Hold on, okay?" she instructed, voice muffled against his shoulder. Tensely, Allen obeyed, gingerly resting his hands around her lower back.

Then, without warning, they were airborne, and he clung to her for dear life.

Too. Fast.

"Lenalee," he managed, unsure if she even heard him; the wind swept the words away as soon as they left his mouth, and he was fairly certain that he had left his stomach at the Order. There was a vague mutter that might have been a "mhm" and might have simply been blood pounding through his ears.

"What is it?" Lenalee asked some seconds later as Allen was summoning the strength to repeat himself.

"Could—" He stopped, torn between not wanting to yell in her ear, wanting her to hear him, and not wanting to vomit. Closing his mouth seemed to be the most prudent solution.

"Just a moment," she called, and suddenly they were plummeting toward the ground. Allen's yelp was lost in the none too gentle impact; impossibly light, given the speed they had been traveling at, yet still rough enough to make him jolt considerably.

"Were you trying to say something?" Lenalee asked as she straightened up, clearly unfazed. Allen took a moment to brace himself as she let go of him and took a step back, barely managing to keep his footing. He swallowed before attempting speech again. Her new boots... weren't something that he was certain he would ever get used to. Lenalee didn't seem to realize how it felt to the passenger, and Allen did not really have the heart to tell her.

"It's nothing," he said with a shaky smile. Lenalee shrugged it off, brushing the dust their landing had kicked up off of her dress.

"Then I suppose we should go." There was a nervous excitement to her smile that Allen found himself sharing.

"Alright," he agreed, brushing his hand against hers without thinking about it and suddenly realizing that he wasn't wearing his gloves. A quick glance down at his left arm verified that while the sleeves were too big for him, his deformed hand was clearly visible. Allen hesitated— it would not be worth it to go back for them, but he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to them either. He had enough experience with crowds to know that something so innocuous as an oddly colored hand still had a way of sticking out.

He opened his mouth to say something about it, though he wasn't sure what, but then Lenalee was taking his hand and leading (all but dragging) him toward the festival. She said nothing about his lack of gloves, and after a few seconds of watching her while dutifully matching her pace, Allen understood why; she hadn't noticed. Despite the fact that her warm hand was pressed firmly against his unnaturally cool and hard one, she took no notice of it. That made him feel... _something_, powerfully, though he couldn't even begin to name it. It made him brush his thumb against her hand even knowing that the action would draw attention to what was supposed to be hidden, because he liked to think that it looked a little less strange when holding onto hers. Lenalee smiled, but did not comment. They continued their walk in silence.

The sound reached them before anything, quickly swelling from a quiet murmur to a noisy mess of chatter and shouts before they could make anything other than pinpoints of light out through the trees. The smell hit next, making Allen's mouth water; it was impossible to make out exactly what was being cooked with so many different scents mingling together, but he was absolutely certain that he wanted to try all of it. He didn't notice that his pace had picked up until Lenalee's laughter met his ears; they both walked faster, pausing occasionally for Lenalee to tug her skirt up as they passed over a fallen branch. The path cleared abruptly as they reached the entrance, and while the sounds and smells had seemed powerful before, it had in no way prepared either of them for this.

It almost seemed like it wasn't night at all, clearing filled with as many lamps as could hang from stalls crammed into every nook and cranny of the space. The atmosphere was busy, crowds of people gathered in clusters; enough to make any Exorcist tense and wary, but somehow it looked no less inviting despite that. Even knowing better, the area gave off a sense of safety; his eye wasn't reacting, so maybe it was even true.

"Wow..." Lenalee breathed. Allen glanced to his side to see her drinking up the scene with the same awed smile and reverent expression that she had had while watching the fireworks. "It's beautiful."

"It's more fun inside," he reminded her with a gentle tug.


	2. Part 2

**Fireworks**

_Part 2_**  
**

Lenalee allowed herself to be led into the festival grounds, eyes traveling over every stall and display— she clearly had no idea where to start. Allen, on the other hand, knew exactly where he wanted to begin, and made his way toward the nearest food stall offering some sort of small bird skewered for consumption. He barely noticed Lenalee slipping off to explore what other offerings were available, focused on deciding which helping was largest. A man in front of him handed over several unfamiliar bills adorned with red and black ink to the stall owner before walking off. It took a moment for the scene to sink in; Allen could almost feel his stomach crying out in disappointment.

... Right. Money. Allen wasn't in the habit of carrying any on him, having gotten used to sending any bills back to the Order, and he barely knew a thing about American money to begin with. He doubted that the thought had crossed Lenalee's mind at all, which was certainly understandable, but he felt a little stupid for not thinking of it himself. This wasn't exactly something that they could just add to their tab. It was a little disconcerting, how much he had come to rely on the Order without realizing it. But... maybe more disconcerting that it had to be a problem.

His stomach growled, loudly. Surrounded by delicious smells and shouts advertising different foods he was suddenly very intent on trying. This was a little torturous. Allen tried to comfort himself with the thought that they would still be able to enjoy the fireworks, and maybe some free shows, but the lack of food put a significant damper on his hopes for the evening.

Caught up not-pouting (really) he didn't notice Lenalee waltzing over until she was right in front of him, smiling, with an ear of corn in either hand. Allen blinked at her as she offered one to him, taking it automatically. How...?

"I thought they looked good, and the man selling them was nice enough to give me a free sample," she explained, noting his slightly dumbfounded look. Allen glanced behind her at the stall she had come from. The cook was giving her a look that Allen was not at all sure he approved of, and he turned his attention back to Lenalee just as quickly.

It wasn't exactly a technique he was unfamiliar with, having gotten by on handouts quite a bit when traveling with Cross and unable to sucker someone into a game of poker, but he felt a little dirty accepting the food none the less. It was different when it was _Lenalee_ doing it.

The sentiment largely disappeared after his first bite. Sneaking out here was once again a terrific idea.

"I'm not sure what do so first," Lenalee confessed, eying their surroundings over her ear of corn. It was second nature to orient herself toward the most crowded places, leaving her back to the forest. The grounds weren't quite as big as she had first suspected from the sheer volume of people, but Lenalee found herself relieved by the lack of activities rather than disappointed by it. Fewer choices, and a better chance of getting to try a little bit of everything. "Do you have any preference?"

Allen shook his head, taking a minute to finish chewing before speaking. "Whatever you want to do."

"But there's so much," she protested with a slight pout, surveying the crowds again. The biggest seemed to be on the other side of the field, crowded outside of a small tent with some sort of rink set up outside of it. She unconsciously leaned forward, interest piqued. "How about there?" she suggested, pointing. Not that she had any idea what it was, but if so many people were gathering then it should be at least a little interesting. Or so she hoped, anyway. It would be disheartening for her first choice to be dull.

Allen glanced in the direction she pointed, a small smile making its way to his face as he instantly recognized the set up. "Sure," he agreed, tossing a fully cleaned corncob into the woods before leading the way. Lenalee glanced down at her own, practically untouched, and took a large bite to compensate before following.

Unfortunately, nearing the tent required plunging into the heart of the crowd. Lenalee felt herself tense up the moment they approached the throngs of people, though any outward signs of it were too subtle for anyone to notice unless they were looking for it. She wondered vaguely if after all this time with the Order, Allen felt that way too. She wouldn't have had to wonder with anyone else, it was a given; a crowd was an Exorcist's worst nightmare. Far too many people pushed together, walking in different directions and chatting about different things and impossible to keep an eye out for all of them until every single one started to look like an akuma staring at the target painted on her back.

That was how it had felt at first, anyway. The thoughts still nagged at her mind now, but they did not frighten her, regardless of her how her body reacted to the situation. Of course Allen's eye would notice any akuma in the area before she did, but a healthy paranoia cultivated over years and years of surprise attacks could not be dissuaded so easily. Besides, his eye wasn't something that she could ever come to rely on anyway. To some degree, she still resented it for allowing Allen to push himself farther than anyone else, to fight harder than his body would let him.

But there were no targets painted on their backs tonight, anyway.

Lenalee tried to focus on the individuals around her, allowing the hoard of people to have a face. A tittering group of women passed by, and she couldn't help tugging at her sleeve a bit. While her dress didn't stick out terribly, it was obviously of a very different style, lacking the poofy sleeves and heavy fabrics that everyone else seemed to be wearing. It didn't bother her terribly; she was well used to wearing clothing far more eye-catching and outlandish. But this did feel a little different than that— her uniform was meant to draw attention to her, after all. This dress had been her attempt at blending in.

A glance at Allen reminded her that of the two, she was still better off; he appeared half-dressed, wearing only a large dress shirt, boots and slacks. She felt a little guilty for taking comfort in it, but it was pleasant to think that if they looked odd, they at least looked odd as a pair.

After some shoving and mumbled apologies, they managed to make their way to the tent. A quick look at the colorful balls strewn around inside the rink and a tightrope tied to two trees over it (was that really safe?) made it obvious what the attraction was, despite her own unfamiliarity with the spectacle. A small circus. Lenalee covertly looked up at Allen through her bangs, but couldn't quite make out his expression.

"Should we sit?" she asked eventually, unsure of what else to say but growing uncomfortable among the buzzing chatter of strangers. Most people were still standing or wandering around, greeting old acquaintances or making new ones. There was a small group of people seated already, mostly younger adults or children, but the show clearly hadn't begun yet.

"I wonder how long it will be..." Lenalee mused aloud, louder this time as she wasn't sure Allen had heard her before. She glanced around for any hint of a preparing performer. While she really did want to see the show, it wouldn't be worth waiting too long— they hadn't stated any time that they should be back by, but it went unsaid that the less time spent here the better. That was how it went with sneaking out, right?

"Hard to say. Do you want to do something else first?" Allen asked, raising his voice as well to be heard over the crowd. It was amazing how loud people could be just _talking_.

"I suppose that might be best," she agreed, bordering on shouting. Her eyes traveled to the tent again on the off chance that the performers would come out right as she looked for them, but had no such luck. Lenalee frowned, disappointed, and quickly admonished herself for it; there were plenty of other things to do. "We can check back later?"

She paused, waiting for a reply, but none came. When she looked back at Allen he was staring at the makeshift rink with an unexpected intensity. "Allen?" Again she couldn't quite understand the expression on his face, or what he was thinking.

"I'll be right back," he stated decisively, stepping forward and looking around one last time for any sign of the performers before jumping the rail. Lenalee sent a wary look back toward the tent, alternating between keeping an eye on it and watching Allen as he made his way to the center of the rink.

Those seated looked on curiously as Allen eyed a large red ball in the center before bending to pick up several smaller ones. There was a faint smile on his face as he hopped onto the sphere as easily as if it was a platform, balancing on one foot and tossing a few of the props he had gathered into the air. There was a smattering of applause as he started to juggle them— four, five, then six, working his way up. He could handle far more, as well as more difficult objects, but they were all that was lying around and he resolved to put on as good a show as he could with them, privately thinking that the one planned probably wasn't going to be very impressive.

There was a nice sort of mindlessness to the actions; paying attention enough to never lose his footing or miss an object, but still letting his mind wander as his limbs intrinsically knew what to do. Even after all this time, it felt like second nature. Allen doubted that he would ever forget anything he had learned at the circus, anything he had learned from Mana, no matter how long the skills went unused. It was a comforting thought, and nice to be able to put the less life-altering things he had learned during those years to use as well.

A quick look to the audience assured him that they were still entertained by the act, giving him enough time to think up his next trick without rushing. A look to where and Lenalee was standing and— his eyes got stuck. There was no better way to put it, or at least none that he could think of. She was clapping along with the audience, eyes glued to him just like everyone else, except it _wasn't_ just like everyone else because no one else had a soft smile like that or looked at him so earnestly that he was sure she would clap just the same if his act was horrible, yet the thought did nothing to dull how much it meant to have her cheering for him. It was something of a paradox, but he couldn't quite manage to notice it or mind either way.

One of the balls was thrown too high, and Allen's attention was wrenched back to the task at hand to compensate for it. Another quick glance at the non-Lenalee audience, and they were getting bored now. He plucked each object out of the air before hopping to the ground, barely pausing to set the smaller balls down before launching into a handstand on the big one. Two hands, one hand, then two again as he traveled around the circumference of the rink with his feet in the air. A peel of laughter from the crowd among the applause; not one of the more dignified tricks, but what use had dignity ever been to a clown? It was good to make them laugh, felt better to hear it than he would have expected. Even if they were all perfect strangers, even knowing that they might have thought badly of him if they knew what he did or what he was, laughter was something he had eventually been taught to appreciate. It felt all the more precious now that there had been so little of it.

It was hard to focus on any one face as he moved; difficult to keep his balance while looking up at all, but especially when he was looking for one person in particular. Still, he managed to catch a glimpse of her expression as he made his way around. She was still smiling, still clapping— but not laughing. And at the moment, that felt like something that he needed to fix.

Allen came to a stop back in the middle of the ring, thinking. Of all the supposed gags he'd been subject to while traveling with clowns, he had never found most of them funny. Other people seemed to, but he didn't have the props to pull off anything that came to mind anyway.

Really, he could appreciate how hard it was to intentionally make someone laugh.

Allen did a backbend to land back on his feet again, picking up the juggling balls from before to stall for time. There wasn't much else he could think of to do with them. Unless... hm. He started juggling again, simply, before beginning to throw the last ball in the sequence in odd directions only to hit it back into the air with his foot or a knee. He continued that way for a few minutes, every so often swapping a different color out of the pattern, always waiting until the last possible moment to catch it. But the interesting part came at the end, as he threw each ball into the air at varying heights.

The first two landed on his head, one on top of the other, while the next rolled down his shoulder and was caught on the backside of his hand. Allen shifted to repeat the catch with his other arm, and stuck out a foot to catch the fifth. Careful not to jostle the others still balancing but moving quickly, he switched to stand on the occupied foot and raised his other leg up nearly ninety degrees to catch the last ball in the same manner, ending up looking like something akin to a human Christmas tree.

It was silly. He would probably think back on it embarrassedly later, but—

The other onlookers were laughing. He chanced a look at Lenalee, and there it was, hiding behind a closed hand that could do nothing to smother it. Allen found himself grinning in response.

If there was anyone who deserved to laugh more, it was Lenalee.

"Hey!" Allen jolted at the shout, turning in time to see a man emerging from the tent, pointing an accusing finger at him and glaring. The actual acrobat, he suspected. Allen let the colorful spheres fall to the ground, but judging by the man's expression that only served to anger him more.

The correct course of action was obvious: apologize. Or...

Allen jumped the rail right by Lenalee."Run!" he half whispered, half laughed, grabbing her arm and taking off. Lenalee squeaked, almost tripping before falling into step with him and quickly surpassing him despite the unwieldy outfit. For as impenetrable as the crowd had seemed before, it melted aside now, with a few vulgarities and insults hurled after the insane couple intent on running someone over.

The field felt a lot smaller after running all the way across it. They were both laughing when they came to a halt, glancing back as if expecting the acrobat to have chased them. All that could be seen was a massive crowd of people, having closed up after they shoved their way through. Lenalee's cheeks were starting to hurt from grinning so hard, but she didn't feel capable of stopping. Looking at Allen at just the right moment resulted in locking eyes, and then they were both doubled over laughing again.

Ridiculous, but nice.

Allen was going to ask what she wanted to do next when a quick look around revealed that most of the stands seemed to be closing up. There were no less people about, but they were swarming around far fewer places than before. He could see two men setting up what looked to be a gigantic crate of fireworks in the center of the field, with everyone else giving them a considerable girth. The grand finale then, probably to signal the end of the festival.

"Things seem to be shutting down," he noted.

"Already?" Lenalee asked in surprise, looking around. It seemed early to be closing up; she guessed that it must have been later than she had first expected. They had caught the tail end of the festival. After a moment, her smile returned. It seemed more lucky that they happened upon it at all than unfortunate that they had missed most of it. Her eyes followed Allen's to the fireworks, or what she assumed to be them, and lit up. Besides, they had still gotten here in time for the best part. "Do you want to just wait here then?"

Allen had half a mind to go to the closing food stalls and ask for leftovers, but dragging Lenalee around to help carry things didn't seem like a good way to end the night and neither did abandoning her to do it himself. He comforted himself with the thought that there would probably still be a few open after the fireworks; better to have a good seat when they started than still be wandering around (and possibly catch on fire).

"Sure." Allen moved toward the outskirts of the field, though not so close to the forest that the trees would obscure their view. It was quieter, obnoxious chatter toned down to an almost pleasant hum of activity. Finding what seemed to be the perfect spot, Allen plopped down on the grass, patting the ground next to him as a rather unneeded invitation. Lenalee smiled at it all the same, carefully lowering herself to the grass so as to not pull the dress in any destructive way. On a spur of the moment whim, she settled herself directly in front of Allen instead of sitting next to him. Allen blinked, not sure what to make of it. Then she scooted back a bit, so that her back was only inches away from his chest, and... he couldn't _not_ get it.

It felt tense, having her sit there ramrod straight; both uncomfortably close and uncomfortably distant. Allen had no idea what possessed him to do it, but he found himself tentatively touching her shoulder with his right hand. Ever so slightly pressing against it, encouraging her to lie back those few inches separating them because really, it wouldn't be at all comfortable for her to watch the fireworks like that and it was a little difficult for him to see past her too. For a moment Lenalee resisted, and Allen wondered what sort of expression she could possibly be making while doing all of this, but then she was leaning back against his chest. And it felt... nice. Like a hug, which somehow had also come to feel nice rather than something to tense at while awkwardly patting her back. Time was a funny thing.

Lenalee's hands lay on either side of him, and Allen was at somewhat of a loss over what to do with his. Couldn't put them in his lap, as it was already occupied, couldn't rest them by his sides because that was where hers were. He rested them partially behind him for a minute, but couldn't quite relax back on them because then she would come back too and that would be just a little bit too close to lying down, and this was a really stupid thing to be thinking about. Allen would have been annoyed with himself if he wasn't too busy being flustered; realizing that he was so worked up over nothing somehow only served to make it worse.

After another agonizing minute, Allen slowly rested his right hand over hers. It wasn't a big deal. They held hands a lot (wait... sense when?), this wasn't so different just because they were sitting like this. It was truly frustrating, being unable to see her face. Far too difficult to know what she thought about his actions. Allen hesitated slightly before resting his left hand over hers as well. Lenalee sucked in a quick breath, and Allen yanked it back as if he had been burned, a hundred different apologies fighting their way to the tip of his tongue.

"I'm s-"

"Shh," she interrupted before he had even decided fully what he was going to say, twisting around to take hold of his left hand before returning to her previous position. "It's cold," she stated simply, letting go only to wriggle her hand under his, making him hold it again. After a moment's pause, Allen rested his right hand back over hers again as well. It was only symmetrical. Lenalee made some sort of contented noise that he didn't quite have a name for, but it made him graze a thumb against hers.

They were quiet for a while, waiting for the show to start.

"It's nice," Lenalee sighed at length, eyes toward the sky. Allen hummed his agreement, squeezing her hand, and that just made her smile all over again. She must have looked ridiculous, grinning over every little thing, but she couldn't bring herself to care about that any more than she could pay any mind to the thought that demanded to know just _what_ she was doing. Lenalee intertwined her fingers with Allen's. She was sitting in a field, having snuck out of the Order, wearing a fancy dress she had no business using with her back pressed against the chest of her fellow escapee, holding hands and watching the sky as if the sun might just come up early. And somehow, despite the fact that she was all but in his lap (though that thought she would _not_ pursue), the world wasn't ending. And it was really, really nice.

Lenalee's smile turned wry. "We should do this more often."

She could feel the laughter rumbling in his chest, and that was nice too.

"We might have to invite Link if you want to make a habit of it," he teased. Lenalee made a face at the thought, tilting her head back far enough to let Allen know just what she thought of the idea. Her view was obstructed by his chin, but she was fairly certain that he was trying to keep from laughing.

"Well, if we're bringing friends, it would only be fair to bring Kanda along." Yes, he was definitely grimacing now. There was something more than a little endearing about it.

Unthinkingly, Lenalee grazed her nose and then lips against the underside of his jaw before straightening back up.

There was a moment in which they both seemed to be in shock, as if wondering if the action had really happened. Allen felt the urge to touch the spot, while Lenalee was acutely aware of his hands covering hers and suddenly frightened by the prospect of them leaving. They were both quiet for a long while, somehow stiller than before. But again, the world didn't end. And then the fireworks finally started, and whatever had just transpired was easily brushed away by the lights.


	3. Part 3

**Fireworks**

_Part 3_

"Lenalee?"

There was no response, and Allen suspected that she had fallen asleep. The fireworks had ended several minutes ago and most people seemed to be getting ready to leave, but Lenalee hadn't stirred. Not that he could blame her, feeling rather tired himself and not even wanting to guess at what time it was, but they couldn't just stay there all night. And she was... sort of their ride home.

"Lenalee," he repeated, shaking her arm gently.

"Mhm?"

She said nothing else and made no attempt to move, but it was at least a start. Allen couldn't quite get up without her moving first or risk sending her sprawling, so he settled for nudging her again. "Are you tired?" A stupid question, but it was the first that popped into his mind and he needed to keep talking if he wanted her to wake up. Lenalee's only response was an unintelligible mumble while shaking her head, and Allen pressed his lips into a thin line to keep from laughing. That would hardly be gentlemanly.

"I think the festival is ending, we need to get up."

"Yeah," she agreed, nodding her head back and forth without actually making any move toward getting up. It was a little bit too adorable to be annoyed by.

"Come on, Komui would kill me if I left you here."

"You'd never make it back in time without me."

Point. Which was good, a coherent response was good however snarky it was. "Did you miss the fireworks?" he asked as she finally stirred, raising her arms up and arching her back to stretch and that was— odd. Very, very odd, with her positioned like that. Odd in a way that his mind wouldn't quite let him think about but that made him flush none the less.

"No, I saw them." A pause, and then amending with "most of them. Did I miss the grand finale?"

"Not really. The early ones were more interesting."

"Good."

It was more of a relief than it should have been when she moved away from him, slowly getting to her feet. Allen found that one of his legs was completely numb, and winced as he attempted to shake it out before standing up as well.

"It really does look about over," Lenalee said, looking back at the center of the clearing. There were still plenty of people milling about, but most seemed to be drifting off their separate ways or saying goodbyes. Any stall owners still present were closing up shop, and the tent could be seen coming down in the distance. She smiled contentedly. "It was really good, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." Good enough that he couldn't doubt it was worth the trouble. Lenalee attempted to brush out her dress before giving up on it as hopelessly wrinkled and moving on. Allen decided not to think about his outfit at all, as it had been unsalvageable _before_ the grass stains, and was about to follow her when a giggle caught his attention. He glanced toward a cluster of trees marking the edge of the forest. A finely dressed man was leading a woman of equal stature into the woods by her hand, raising it to brush lips against her knuckles—

Allen jerked his line of vision away from the scene, cursing both his keen hearing and above average night vision (thanks again, Master) and extremely uncomfortable over catching such an intimate moment. Though a large part of him considered it improper, he had to grudgingly admit there was a small amount of charm to it, though both sides of him could agree that it wasn't something he should have intruded on by catching the moment.

Again, he was about to follow Lenalee. But then everything stopped as his left eye convulsed, gears shifting into existence before it and he heard the familiar whir and metallic clacking sounds that only one thing could produce. Realization hit in an instant. He was already sprinting after the couple when his Innocence hummed to life, fingers sharpening to knife points as white down encased his neck. An ear piercing scream emanated from the woods just as he cut through them; the couple hadn't gotten far, and both were still standing. A momentary swell of relief at that. It was only a level two looming in front of them. Horrifying to them, surely, but Allen cut through it without bothering to bring out his sword, careful to shield the two would-be lovers from any flying remains.

His eye returned to normal, and Allen let his Innocence deactivate before turning to face the two. It probably didn't matter at this point, but hopefully it would give him a slightly less frightening appearance.

"I'm sorry, but please walk back this way, it's safer there." There were no more akuma in the woods, but it was better to move them away from the toxins and back toward the lighted path. Both the man and the woman merely stared at him, understandably terrified, and Allen smiled at them as reassuringly as he could. "It's alright, come on." While the woman clung to the man when Allen offered her a hand, they did at least get to their feet and start shuffling toward the light. Allen briefly entertained the thought of escorting them wherever they were going before deciding that it was probably not necessary, and they likely wouldn't appreciate it anyway. It would be best to head back to the Order—

Allen stumbled, coming to a stop at the edge of the clearing.

Where was Lenalee? Surely she would have heard the scream, if nothing else. Not that he had needed any help, but it was strange that she hadn't shown up all the same.

Another uneasy few steps into the clearing and Allen's eye activated again. He swore as he dashed past the two stunned survivors and toward the forest on the other side. Why did the clearing have to be so far across? One akuma was lurking on the outskirts among humans, but there was a larger group farther out. Allen took care of the straggler with one swipe, ignoring the screams of terror from the people surrounding it as he made it into the woods.

More level two's— three, to be exact. Allen hurried on, tripping over something in his haste. No... two. He could see them ahead now, one a grotesque caricature of a baby doll and the other some sort of mechanical snake. Then the next moment there was only one as a blur of teal slammed the doll-like machine into the ground and left it in pieces. Allen rounded on the last one as it screamed obscenities, but then Lenalee was in the air above it. She came down on it, hard, and the machine was cloven in two. Allen watched the soul disappear, showering Lenalee with thanks that she could not hear before his eye returned to its dormant state. Lenalee looked over at him, panting slightly, but didn't seem to be in any pain. Her dress was a mess, torn in multiple places and dirtied, but he couldn't see a scratch on her.

Allen straightened up awkwardly, feeling rather useless.

"There were about six of them, I think that they were just here for the festival," Lenalee explained, glancing in the direction of the Order. "They seemed surprised to see an Exorcist here, anyway, so... I doubt that it was anything more than that."

Allen nodded, glancing back toward the clearing, and blanched as his eyes fell on the object that had tripped him. He had assumed it to be a tree root, not the crumbling remains of an arm. He glanced up just as quickly, not wanting Lenalee to notice him fixating on it, but didn't turn back to look at her just yet.

"There was a group of people— they scattered during the fight." Allen turned back to face her just in time to catch her quick glance down at the pile of ash. Most of them scattered. "We should make sure there aren't any more akuma around." He nodded, and Lenalee took off above the trees. Allen made his way in the opposite direction, careful to watch out for any other corpses, but he was relieved to see none. Perhaps it was just the one group and the loner on the other side. Considering how many people had been around, it certainly wasn't a bad night in terms of casualties. But the short battle did change the night none the less. Made it less of a blissful... escape? That was troubling for entirely other reasons. Allen would never want to escape his duties as an Exorcist, destroying akuma and freeing their souls was his entire purpose. It was his promise. But he still couldn't help but feel as if tonight wasn't _supposed_ to have any akuma around, as if one person dying here tonight was somehow more unfortunate than it happening to anyone else on any other night.

Allen wandered aimlessly through the trees, losing his bearings after a while before managing to catch a glimpse of the lit clearing again. He repeated this cycle several times before he was confident that he had made his way all around it, without his eye activating once. Lenalee was already waiting for him by one of the empty stalls an owner had neglected to cart away when he made his way back onto the field.

"I didn't see anything," Allen called as he approached her, and when she looked up she seemed almost relieved to see him. He couldn't quite fathom why, though there were plenty of possible reasons.

"Me neither."

Silence reigned again. It was amazing how quiet the atmosphere felt now, compared to the boisterous clamor of before. Almost no one was left. Allen hoped that people had simply cleared out fast after talk of the akuma attacks had spread rather than assuming that he had been lost in the woods longer than he thought.

"We should head back," Lenalee stated quietly, almost a whisper. She didn't look up at him. Allen turned his gaze skyward.

"Before the sun rises," he agreed at length. Lenalee glanced up sharply, as if fearing that daylight had crept in when she wasn't paying attention. "That has to be at least a few hours off, though," Allen added. "Don't you think?"

"Let's hope." Lenalee moved toward him until they were almost touching. For a moment Allen thought that she was going to hug him (just for transportation purposes, of course), but she spun around at the last moment, seeking out his arms and wrapping them over her shoulders. He would have been embarrassed by the intimate position in any other circumstance, but at the moment all Allen could focus on was his doubt that this was a completely safe position to attempt her brand of flying in. He had an unpleasant suspicion that she would take his arms with her and leave the rest of him on the ground.

"Are you sure this is the best way?" he asked tentatively. Lenalee repositioned his arms so that either hand rested on the crook of the opposite elbow before gripping his forearms.

"I won't let you fall."

He didn't doubt that, but she had a tendency to underestimate how much strain her Innocence put on anyone not-her. How to tell her that he was afraid she might rip his arms off?

They were airborne.

There was a small jolt, but it was much softer than the one he had tensed for. Lenalee's body was tilted forward, now that they were in the air, requiring far less clinging-for-dear life than their previous trip. It was almost like a piggyback ride, which Allen distinctly remembered refusing earlier. That earned her a frown, but they were already flying now so it was useless to bring it up. He did have _some_ dignity; was she intent on destroying every last scrap of it?

Allen just barely heard Lenalee mutter something over the wind whistling past them, but couldn't make out the words. "What?" he asked, suddenly extremely conscious of the fact that his mouth was practically pressed against her ear.

"I hope that we can sleep in tomorrow," she repeated. Allen grimaced. Link was not one for oversleeping. Nor was Allen, usually, but he didn't have quite the enthusiasm for early mornings that the Inspector seemed to. Well, "enthusiasm" was probably the wrong word as it was hard to imagine Link truly enthusiastic about anything, but something along those lines.

He hoped that Lenalee at least would be able to catch a few extra hours of sleep.

"Oh..." Allen didn't so much hear the gasp as feel the way her body went stiff with it (not thinking about that), but they were landing in front of the Order before he had a chance to enquire about it.

There were people waiting.

Which maybe he should have expected, with an akuma attack so close to the Branch. Allen was fairly certain that there was no connection, but of course there would be people whose job it was to notice that sort of thing. The welcoming party mostly consisted of Finders and administrators he barely knew, with a few cloaked Crow members flanking them. Link was the first to catch his attention, still dressed in his sleepwear and looking severely displeased. Allen winced. He could only imagine Link's reaction to waking up to news of an akuma attack, possibly one directed toward the Order, only to discover that his charge was missing.

This could be very bad.

"Out for a midnight stroll?" Renee at least seemed somewhat amused, beyond the clipped tone and serious expression. "Well, far past midnight. That's a lovely dress, Lenalee."

Lenalee shifted uncomfortably as the group's collective attention shifted from Allen to her, and tried to stand up straighter. It _had_ been a lovely dress. Now it was irreparably tattered, splattered with mud and who knew what else from the battle. Lenalee was fairly certain that there were still some small twigs in her hair. "Thank you," she muttered, tugging at the torn fabric.

"Why don't you tell me all about it while we get you cleaned up?"

As if on cue, two of the cloaked Crow members moved toward them. Lenalee was already too tense for there to be much of a change in her demeanor, until she realized that they were both going toward Allen.

"Wait, it—" She cut off abruptly as a hand closed around her arm, and was shocked to see that it was Link holding her in a vice grip. But that was good, he reported directly to That Man, so this was her chance. She spoke directly to him this time. "It was only a couple hours, I was with him the entire time, and it was my idea-"

"I have no doubt." His voice was nearly devoid of emotion, but there was something there that made her all the more uncomfortable.

"Lenalee."

She jerked her head back to Allen. He was going to say something, opened his mouth to, but cloaked figures were leading him away already, squashing his attempt to speak to her. She knew what he would have said; that it was fine, there was no need for her to defend him or get in more trouble. But she wasn't sure that any of it was true.

"Lenalee, you need to come with me," Renee ordered. Not unkindly, but with an authoritative voice that did not soften the words. Lenalee watched Allen disappear inside, followed by Link, and found that her throat was suddenly dry. There was a gruff sigh from the older woman.

"I wouldn't worry," she murmured, taking Lenalee by the arm and steering her toward another entrance.

But that didn't mean anything.

* * *

A day later, Lenalee stood by the gate connecting the Branches, holding her suitcase with both hands. She smothered a yawn; it was the middle of the afternoon, yet she still felt tired. The sun had come up before she had gotten a chance to sleep, after over an hour of exhaustive questioning. Mostly easy things to answer, aside from ones like "why did you do it?" because that she honestly still couldn't figure out. But when unexpectedly asked if she regretted it, with Renee giving the question a very "off the books" intonation... she hadn't lied. Though it had been made clear that it was a serious offense, somehow it had ended with the Supervisor laughing. Lenalee had hoped that Allen was so lucky as she was escorted to bed.

The decision to send her back to the Main Branch had been made while she was sleeping, and Lenalee felt as though she had been woken up to start packing as soon as her head had touched the pillow.

It was better than she had any right to hope for, a disciplinary slap on the wrist. But it was also sending her away from Allen, and having not seen him since being dragged off by the Crow... it was enough to make her worry. But they couldn't do that much, could they? They wouldn't be allowed to, he was still an Exorcist. But Brother wasn't here to supervise things, and Renee had been with her (not that she expressly trusted that woman anyway, but she was more inclined to sympathy than some others that Lenalee could think of), and she didn't know exactly what the Inspector would _say_ to That Man about it. Lenalee knew that she was the one incriminating him, so it was best to just go along with whatever they said and it was probably better in the long run for her to be away from him either way.

But it still felt wrong to be leaving.

"You're scheduled to leave in ten minutes," a Finder informed her. She didn't know his name. Lenalee nodded, turning back to face the gate. She honestly wasn't sure what to expect on the other side.

Several minutes ticked by, simply standing. Lenalee mostly kept her eyes on the floor, looking up every once in a while when someone passed her to give them an uncertain smile. It was hard to know how to treat people now; she imagined that many of them felt the same way. Eventually she caught sight of something moving out of the corner of her eye, and when she looked up a wave of both apprehension and relief bubbled through her chest. He was walking on the other side of the gigantic room, quite a distance, following Inspector Link with two Crow guards behind him. Toward the cafeteria. Lenalee almost grinned at that, settling for a pleased smile instead. It couldn't be that bad then, right? Security was certainly worse than usual, but it was Allen, and he looked fine because Allen was always fine somehow.

Their eyes only met for a second. Lenalee hadn't been aware that she was staring, but Allen glanced over and in that moment she could forget the guards around him and the gate before her, because they were both alright and there wasn't a single thing they'd done that she regretted.

He looked away, maybe prodded by the Inspector talking to him or maybe not, and Lenalee let her gaze fall to the tiled floor. But she was smiling, and she knew that he was too, even if she couldn't see it. It was hard to say how long it would take for all this to blow over, or who exactly would be waiting for her back home and what they would have been told. It might be a while before she saw Allen again. But while the thoughts troubled her, they could not eclipse one simple fact:

It was worth it.

* * *

_END_


End file.
